The cheapest destination in Europe is also one of the 'safest countries' — not Spain
Research has found the cheapest spots to visit for a weekend where the cost of living is considerably lower.
As flight prices rise due to the Middle Eastern conflict, travellers will find it more difficult than ever to go on holiday. However, new research from Solo Female Travelers has found cheaper spots where the cost of living is considerably lower for a weekend getaway.
Researchers looked at data taken from Numbeo for 49 European destinations, excluding countries Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine due to the ongoing war and misleading data. As well as Crown Dependencies including the Isle of Man, Jersey, Guernsey, Gibraltar, and the Faroe Islands, as they are not sovereign states. The team then calculated a daily solo basket covering six spending categories.
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The six categories included - an inexpensive restaurant meal, coffee/cappuccino, bottled water (0.33L), local transport (return), a cinema ticket, and a one-bedroom city-centre flat (per night).
The study found that a solo traveller could spend a weekend in North Macedonia for as little as €52.38 (£45.33).
Skopje is the capital and the largest city in North Macedonia, with a population of more than 500,000. The Balkan country is landlocked and shares its border with Greece to the south, Albania to the west, Bulgaria to the east, Kosovo to the northwest and Serbia to the north.
A meal at an inexpensive restaurant in Skopje would cost €6.51 (£5.63), a regular-sized cappuccino would cost €1.92 (£1.66), and a 0.33L bottle of water would cost €1.05 (£0.91).
Direct flights from London to Skopje cost around £90 for a weekend flight or around £49 if you're flexible with dates. According to World Population Review, North Macedonia is also one of the "safest countries in the world", with a low risk level based on the Global Peace Index.
In second place was Bosnia and Herzegovina, where a solo weekend would cost you €54.66 (£47.30). Next, a weekend in Moldova would set you back slightly more at €54.93 (£47.53). Finally, rounding up the top four is Serbia, where a weekend will cost a solo traveller €61.65 (£53.35).
Surprisingly, the top four would almost equal the most expensive destination for solo weekend travel.
Liechtenstein’s weekend cost is 4.25 times more than the cheapest, at €222.66 (£192.68). For a combined total of €223.62 (£193.51) – nearly the same as a single weekend in Liechtenstein travellers could visit the four cheaper alternatives.
Liechtenstein just beat neighbouring country Switzerland €221.70 (£191.85) by less than one euro. Liechtenstein’s daily basket of €74.22 is the highest in Europe, thanks to dining costs being higher than accommodation costs.
Dining in Liechtenstein is 20% higher than in Switzerland at €27.13 (£23.48) and more than double the European average of €14.98 (£12.96).
Mar Pages, co-founder of Solo Female Travelers, said: “Liechtenstein may be small, but its costs are anything but. What’s interesting is that the premium isn’t driven by accommodation – it’s the everyday spending, from a simple meal to a coffee, that pushes it to the top.
"For solo travellers planning a European trip, this data is a powerful reminder that cost differences across the continent are enormous and the destination you choose makes all the difference.”
